CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University’s SAC Presents series wraps up its fourth season with a live music and film piece, “Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6, in the LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St.

The project, a coordinated melding of live music and film, was commissioned by Duke Performances at Duke University and premiered at Duke’s Reynolds Industries Theater in March 2015. It is currently on its second national tour. It features the videography of H. Lee Waters, who documented over 118 small towns in the southeast, between 1936 and 1942. Waters’ films provide the background for an original score composed by Jenny Scheinman.

Scheinman is a composer, violinist and singer/songwriter who has been performing since she was a teenager. She has toured and collaborated with jazz artists Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Brian Blade, and more, as well as numerous American songwriters such as Lucinda Williams, Bruce Cockburn, Rodney Crowell, Lou Reed and Ani DiFranco. She has released nine studio albums.

Filling out Scheinman’s trio for the performance are Robbie Fulks and Robbie Gjersow. Fulks has released 10 solo records and has made multiple appearances on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Mountain Stage,” and “World Café.” He has also appeared on PBS’s “Austin City Limits,” NBC’s “Today,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “30 Rock.”

Gjersoe is a musician, composer, songwriter and occasional engineer and producer. He has worked on a variety of musical projects and has co-created, composed and performed soundtracks for many films, including “Grand Champion,” “Robbing Peter” and “Vanishing of the Bees.” His music was used in the movie “The Hot Flashes,” and for the television show, “The Mentalist.”

Scheinman and filmmaker Finn Taylor have re-edited Water’s images to Scheinman’s score and created a live performance experience that speaks to any community as much as to the towns where the video footage was filmed.

“These are American’s home movies,” Scheinman said. “They contain a clue to our nature, an imprint of our ancestry. They were shot before Americans had sophisticated understanding of film, and capture truthfulness that one is hard-pressed to find in this day and age now that we are immersed in a world of social media, video and photography.”

SAC Presents is presented by the College of Liberal Arts, School of Arts & Communication. This performance is presented in conjunction with The CO, the Corvallis maker fair, as part of its weekend of events.

Tickets for “Kannapolis” are $30 and $35 in advance or $35 and $40 at the door. All seats are reserved. To purchase tickets, visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/SACpresents or call 541-737-5592.

Up to 100 free tickets are available for OSU students for the event. An OSU student discount code is needed and may be obtained in Fairbanks Hall 309A or 309B, or by calling 541-737-5592.

The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Auditorium doors open at 7 p.m. Beverages and snacks will be for sale in the lobby by Lumos Wine Co. starting at 6 p.m. Child care may be arranged through OSU KidSpirit’s Adult Night Out Program (fee and registration required – see website for details.)

SAC Presents participates in Corvallis Arts for All. If tickets remain on the evening of the performance, individuals in the SNAP program with an Oregon Trail Card may purchase up to two tickets at $5 each starting one hour prior to each performance. For availability of Corvallis Arts for All tickets or for accommodations for people with disabilities, call 541-737-5592.

College of Liberal Arts

About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts encompasses seven distinct schools, as well as several interdisciplinary initiatives, that focus on humanities, social sciences, and fine and performing arts. Curriculum developed by the college’s nationally and internationally-renowned faculty prepares students to approach the complex problems of the world ethically and thoughtfully, contributing to a student's academic foundation and helping to build real-world skills for a 21st century career and a purposeful life.

Source: 

Erin Sneller, 541-737-5592, [email protected]

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